Xpress - Selous Game Reserve

Named after the Englishman, Frederick Courtney Selous - conservationist, hunter, explorer and author, whose adventure books on Africa became best sellers in Victorian England; the Selous game reserve is the largest protected wildlife sanctuary on the continent, covering 54000 km of Southern Tanzania, it is three times larger than Serengeti and twice the size of Belgium and important enough to be declared as the world heritage site

Few other safaris evoke the romance, mystique and spiritual delight of the African bush as one in the Selous. Southern Tanzania is redolent with the romantic history of a bygone age. Pioneers, missionaries, hunters and adventurers littered the landscape with legends. To those who know and love the African bush, the Selous is one of Africa's best kept secrets.

The sheer diversity of the landscape - from hot volcanic springs, placid lagoons and the many channels from the Great Ruaha and Rufiji Rivers which bisect the reserve - makes the Selous a unique area in which to observe the full panoply of African wildlife. Most of Africa's mammal species, from the largest to the smallest to the rarest, thrive here. In addition there are some 440 species of birds and more than 2,000 recorded varieties of plants (with many more still to be discovered.)

An array of grazing antelopes, crocodiles and hippos can be seen along the Rufiji river, as well as black and white colobus monkeys in the riverine forest. The concentration of animals along the river during the dry season is astonishing. The Rufiji is linked to Lake Tagalala where waterbuck, reedbuck and bushbuck gather at the water's edge. Magnificent sickle-horned sable and curly-horned greater kudu tend to keep to the longer grass and wooded shrubby areas.

An ancient migration of elephants takes place in the dry season, between the Selous and Mozambique's Niassa Game Reserves. This is one of the largest natural trans-boundary eco-systems in Africa and at the last consensus it was estimated that 64,400 elephants roam the two parks, with 84% on the Tanzanian side.

Fierce tiger fish and smooth slippery vandu catfish are caught in the rivers. The latter is equipped with primitive lungs allowing it to cross land for short distance in an attempt to find water during the dry season.

The best time for visiting Selous is between June and November, the dry season when most of the wildlife can be seen along the rivers. Short rains start thereafter. From December to February is still good but it gets very hot and humid. January to April is good for viewing birdlife and glorious scenery but roads become impassable. Most camps are closed from April to May due to the heavy rains.